Often referred to as the ‘manta ray of the North’, the largest skate in the world can attain lengths of up to 3m. Just like with so many species in the oceans today, flapper skates are critically endangered following decades of overfishing. In Northern Ireland, however, an exciting discovery made the headlines in 2021: an extremely rare juvenile flapper skate was recorded by Ulster Wildlife’s Sea Deep project.

Oceanographic Magazine (OM): What makes flapper skates so special?

Erin McKeown (EM): Flapper skates are really impressive. At Sea Deep we fondly refer to flapper skates as the ‘manta rays of the North’ as it is an equally iconic species. It is the largest skate in the world, reaching 3m in length. It can live to a phenomenal 100 years of age. Unfortunately, the flapper skate is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN red list, with further declines risking species extinction.

OM: How did the species end up being classified as ‘critically endangered’?

EM: The flapper skate was historically overfished, both commercially and recreationally. In fact, species was the first clear case of a fish brought to the brink of extinction by overfishing, according to Brander, 1981. It was a popular sport fish due to its size. Before 1970 angling for most shark and skate species followed a ‘catch and kill’ procedure. This overwhelming fishing pressure resulted in drastic species declines. Additionally, the flapper skate like many other sharks and skates, displays slow life history characteristics, such as late maturity and small litter sizes. Therefore, it can take a long time for populations to recover if decimated. These factors, alongside several other threats in our modern-day seas result in the flapper skate requiring urgent protection to conserve the species.

OM: How exactly did you record the juvenile flapper skate last year?

EM: Sea Deep is supported by a community of Northern Ireland based volunteer anglers. We train them in best practice ‘shark & skate catch, tag and release’ techniques, so they can effectively gather data on local species when at sea. Our juvenile flapper skate was recorded in April 2021, off the east coast of Northern Ireland and was a first for the project. The juvenile was caught by a licensed Sea Deep angler, authorised to collect data on this critically endangered species under the NI wildlife order (1985). We did not tag this catch in order to minimise stress because juveniles are at a more vulnerable life stage. Instead, we recorded other information, such as location, sex and general species health.